Rent for a one bedroom

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

What is the going rate for a one bedroom in the Davis Square/Ball Square area, with off-street parking, laundry in the basement, disposer, dishwasher and updated insulation/weather-stripping/double-pained windows (ie not drafty as hell)?

Looking around on the web, it seems that the average is $2,000 -- this seems crazy high to me, no?

Comments

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

The laundry is the basement, the off-street parking, and the dishwasher are your sticking points.

From personal experience, sacrificing one of the above will get you under $2k. Getting farther away from the T will get you under $1,500.

The likelihood of getting a really well-insulated house anywhere in this area is a coin-flip. Central air is not a possibility.

From personal experience, your stand-alone dishwasher will cost you $700. You can always get the laundromat to wash your clothes for about a buck a pound. Off-street parking is the one thing I would absolutely not give up. I do *not* miss waking up to the street cleaning.

Source: Lived in Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford so far, and can compare/contrast.

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

laundry *in* the basement, rather

[trysha.livejournal.com]

The parking is the biggest one - but yes, that doesn't sound unreasonable. Welcome to davis "crazy-overpriced-rent" square.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

speaking as a landlord: one bedrooms are hella pricey. this neighborhood is mostly historically multi-families, with pluralities of bedrooms per kitchen-and-bath plumbing. additional kitchens and baths are pretty hard to retrofit into victorians, esp given that the ones that are in there *now* were often post-original-construction in the first place. i have a three-family with seven residents co-occupying; this makes the cost of living far more bearable.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

Along with what others have noted, rents have gone up a LOT in the last couple years. Like, $100-200 per bedroom, more in the most popular areas like Davis.

There might be workarounds - places with a laundry hookup might be cheaper, even with the cost of buying a washer/dryer yourself. I managed to find a great washer and dryer on Craigslist for $300 total just after moving into my current place, which just had a hookup. For off-street parking, you might have better luck in Teele Square/Clarendon Hill (still just a 10-15 minute walk from Davis, or you can take the bus). Most of the houses on Powder House Blvd seem to have parking. Jump over the line into Medford (which isn't that far from Ball Square) and rents will drop. Also, broaden your search to 1.5-2 bedroom places, which could actually end up being around the same price since they're more common than 1 bedrooms in this area.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

It sounds from your comments that $2,000 is not an unreasonable amount to expect to have to pay for the amenities listed above in a one-bedroom in the Davis/Ball Sq area. Thanks.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

As a landlord, I'd love to convert my 3 family with is 3 2 bedrooms to say 5-6 1 bedroom apartments. Way easier to manage, lower risk etc and probably financially advantageous, but the city wouldn't allow it. In NY if you want to live by yourself and save money you can find 300 sq ft apartments, hard to do that here. Zoning rules. People would cry about all the units going in.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

indeed, even less parking. and it would be an adventure to you adding all those kitchens and baths, but hey, you might dig that sort of thing. :)

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

Central air is certainly possible -- but you need to find a place that's been recently renovated (last 5-6 years, preferably). Unfortunately, that would mean more $$$.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

When I moved to the Boston area in 1994 and saw the prices of 1-bedrooms as opposed to 2-bedrooms, I knew I would never be able to afford to live alone again. I don't know what it is about 1-bedrooms around here, but if you're able to shell out $2000 a month for one, go for a 2-bedroom for the same price (there are some) and then you'll have an office or studio.

[bobthemadmidget.livejournal.com]

It does indeed seem to be the amenities. There are 2 and 3 bedroom apartments for less than $2,000 in the area but they don't have most if any of the extra stuff you are looking for,

[elements.livejournal.com]

You might find some of this sort of thing farther afield - like Arlington - in a brick building, for less. I have friends in Arlington Center who have all or most of these amenities for under $1200 for 1 beds - though I think looking anew now, you'd be looking at paying 1400 or more for those same apartments as a new tenant.